Kenyon men’s soccer played its final nonconference game against Adrian College (Mich.) on Saturday. After a dominant performance, the Owls secured a 4-0 win to enter conference play next week with a 6-2 record.

Coming out with a strong defensive presence, the Owls gained attacking momentum early in the game. In the eighth minute, Kenyon found the back of the net; however, the goal was called back due to an offside call, but the early chance gave the Owls confidence despite the scoreless start. After outshooting Adrian 10-3, Andrew Adams ’28 found the top right corner by receiving a through ball from Emmett Brown ’28, Adams’ first goal of the season, making the score 1-0.

The Owls showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, continuing their relentless attack just minutes after the break. In the 47th minute of the game, Lucas de Alarcon ’28, who now leads Kenyon with four goals on the season, calmly tapped the ball into the back of the net after Adrian Bondartsov ’30 slotted it across the Bulldogs’ scrambling defense. The third goal of the match came just five minutes later. After earning a free kick at the top of the box, Adams secured the Owls’ second point of the game by sneaking the ball under the wall and past the Adrian keeper. 

The Owls maintained attacking pressure through the remainder of the half, allowing Adrian just one shot on target in the 74th minute, prompting a save from Matt Kayser ’29, his 13th of the season. With the comfortable lead, several first years saw the field and gained valuable experience. Clyde Felsen ’30 took full advantage of his opportunity, scoring the first goal of his college career with just 10 minutes on the field. After beating his defender, Felsen found the bottom-left corner from outside the box, showing no lack of confidence as a first year. The goal capped off a 4-0 victory for the Owls. 

Joey Nigro ’29 was pleased with the team’s performance. “The team was very sound defensively and had good offensive production,” he wrote in an email to the Collegian. “Overall, it was a really strong performance to have under our belt, especially heading into conference play.”

The Owls now look ahead to their home match against DePauw University (Ind.) this Saturday. Following a first-round NCAC Tournament appearance last fall, Kenyon was picked to finish third in the preseason coaches poll. With an average of 2.5 goals per game scored while only conceding an average of 0.75, as well as goals from 13 different players this season, the Owls show dangerous potential for NCAC opponents.